Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts told WDSU that the platform wasn't producing oil, and a sheen was spotted in the water. The sheen was about three miles long and 250 feet wide -- an estimated 7 gallons worth of product.

Parish officials said the platform is not drilling at a deepwater site like the Macondo well that blew out in 2010. That blowout led to an explosion that killed 11 workers and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Reuters reported that Black Elk Energy was investigated in August by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement in regards to an incident where two employees were dropped 60 feet into the Gulf of Mexico after a crane malfunctioned. No injuries were reported in that incident.

Black Elk also paid $300,000 in a civil fine in September related to a site inspection in 2011 that showed one of its facilities wasn't complying with regulations, according to NBC News.

NBC also reported that federal data shows a small fire occurred at a Black Elk platform in February of 2011 in the Gulf of Mexico, but was quickly contained.

The platform fire comes a day after BP settled criminal charges in the 2010 oil spill disaster, agreeing to pay $4.5 billion in penalties. The company still faces up to $20 billion in fines.

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Copyright 2012 by WDSU.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.